13 May 2009

Given the long-term media blitz that has lead up to the release of Angels & Demons, the prequel to Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code, I'm sure you know that the film premiers in theatres this Friday (May 15, 2009). So I think it's appropriate to revisit one of my posts from the archives. Obviously I haven't seen the new movie yet, but I can tell you I thought Angels & Demons was the better of the two books.

Originally posted on May 19, 2006:

The DaVinci Code opens in theatres today amidst much talk from both the Hollywood crowds (as happens with any blockbuster) and the Christian community (as happens with any blockbuster that happens to touch on the fundamentals of their faith).

Before jumping into the heart of this post, I encourage you to read a previous post of mine on the general topic of profanity and blasphemy in some of the music and literature that I consider to be among my favorites, which briefly addresses The DaVinci Code. For those of you short on time, here's the digest version: I believe that what I consume is a matter of personal conviction from the Living God based on where I'm at in my spiritual journey. As such, I'm not a big fan of blanket statements from those in authority telling all Christians across the nation to avoid a certain book or movie.

Given this, it shouldn't come as a surprise that I implore Christians leaders to refrain from supporting widespread boycotts of the film. More importantly, I plead with fellow Christians to exercise caution and avoid jumping on misinformed, judgmental bandwagons that are merely cloaked in Christianity.

Leonardo da Vinci is credited with making the following comment about maintaining mental sharpness: "Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind."

What's the state of your mind today? Exercised it lately? Or do you continue to exclusively feed at the breast of a select group of Christian leaders -- either local or national? Read Hebrews 5:13-14. I'm pretty sure that passage points to the fact that the Christian life is about personally growing in knowledge so that we can learn to choose the right path. Our lives shouldn't be about others choosing for us, and then forcing those choices on us under the guise of "proper Christian living". I sincerely believe that if you truly seek the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind, He will bless you with knowledge that will equip you to make your own life choices. Free your mind of the status quo, ask God for direction and pray for Spirit-led decisions. Stay sharp!

Oh yeah, back to The DaVinci Code...I highly recommend the novel and I'm looking forward to seeing the film -- it's fictional entertainment at its best! And don't even get me started on the topic of "protecting" non-believers from being exposed to the fictional elements portrayed in the novel/film that contradict Biblical truths. Instead, let's focus our time and energy on praying for all non-believers, including the guy who will walk into a Hindu temple tonight and discover something there that is initially alluring to his soul. Or the teenage girl who is so caught up in the lies of this world concerning beauty that she literally starves herself to be thin.

6 comments:

I agree that Angels and Demons was a good story, but don't you think Brown is rather "lacking" as a writer? My guess is that seeing the movie will be more enjoyable than reading the book (which is not my normal stance on books-turned-movies)...

I read Angels & Demons at some point in 2004 and haven't read it since, but I remember thinking that Brown was on par with guys like James Patterson (although I like the historial factor of Brown's work more) and Thomas Harris (whose characters I think are more developed).

But I guess compared with writers like Umberto Eco (The Name of the Rose) or Caleb Carr (The Alienist), I would agree that he is somewhat "lacking."

However, I liked the DaVinci Code book more than I did the film. I would expect the same for this new one, but will try and keep an open mind.

So I saw the film. It's better than the first one, no doubt. I would still say that the book was better. There were a number of plot changes and a somewhat major character was left out of the film -- all to cut down on the length of the film, no doubt.

And maybe that's the difference -- A film has a short amount of time to tell the story; while a book can take its time developing characters and plot.

Either way, it makes me appreciate really good films and really good books even more.